Methods of monitoring a monitored zone are generally known and can be used to monitor zones close to and/or in apparatuses having at least one movable part, for example machines, which could injure the operator under unfavorable circumstances. Examples for such machines are stamping and bending machines, in which a bending stamp presses metal sheet against a bending tool and deforms it, shears, punching presses or robots.
To be able to achieve a productivity which is as high as possible by low standstill times or downtimes of such a machine, it is desirable in a method of the aforesaid type that a danger for the operator can be recognized as unequivocally as possible and can be distinguished from other processes or movements of other real objects in the region of the machine so that the machine only needs to be stopped in the event of an actual danger where possible.
Such a method should be able to be carried out in real time so that the normal working speed on such a machine is not impaired.